Christmas Decor 2020... on a Slow Stitching Sunday...

 Hello - where did December go to???  I just don't understand how time goes so fast and so slow simultaneously, but it sure seems to do it... I was patting myself on the back for getting my Christmas decor up early (for me ) this year... first week of December... but it wasn't "finished'  every space I arranged still needed a little of this or a little of that and it has taken me all month to finish up... and I think I'm done... I want to be done... I want to sit and look at my displays and stitch on a Christmas piece that won't be finished for this year and try to find a bit of peace in this crazy year... that's my goal for the week... we shall see how it turns out... but you aren't here for my introspective ramblings, you'd like to see some pretty Christmas stuff, right??  Okay... here goes...

HO HO HO ... Santa is gracing the wall again this year... I added some garlands around the top as I liked how that looked on my Halloween quilt... 

and the tier tray is a nice collection of Santas .. a couple of my now getting to be vintage needlepoint Santas and a cross stitch one that I never can decide if he's a Santa or an elf... 

Moving around the room we have the TV stand... I crammed a lot in here... a stack of Santas, and small pack of pixies, a flock of deer and mine and Nick's needlepoint stockings...

And speaking of stockings, Elliott's came back from the finisher and I'm very happy with it...

It is hanging on the mantle at his house waiting for Santa to stuff it will goodies... and as a side note I've already purchased a stocking for his Mama ... it will be my BIG project for 2021... then the whole family will have stockings... 

Continuing to circle the room... the shelf unit... lots of stuff from previous years ... 

I like the nativity scene at the top... I have a good view of it from my stitching chair... 

I have picked up a new Santa head or two... that collection is definitely growing and I like the trees growing out of their heads... I want some candy cans to put in that biggest one but keep forgetting to pick some up at the store..

And this is a new addition to the cross stitch... its from With Thy Needle & Thread entitled " The Most Wonderful Time of the Year"... and now I have Andy Williams singing in my head...LOL

I'm quite proud of myself for this finish... it was a super quick stitch ... I think it only took about 4 days and it is the first time I've inserted pompom trim into the seam... boy the flanges on pompom trim are tiny... had to find my zipper foot to get it sewn in... but it came out exactly like I wanted ... a rather flat pillow ...not puffy... and instead of using interfacing on the back of the stitching and the lining I used fusible fleece.. I had it sitting on my cutting table from a previous project... it gives it a nice bit of loft ... I'll be using it again in my finishing...

And a bit more of the shelf unit... I can see that I've got a turquoise/red theme going with my Christmas stitching... and I like it... it works for me...

A look at my Christmas tree... on the small side but it's best attribute is that again this year it made a successful trip up and down the stairs to the storage room fully decorated... all I did was plug it in and straighten a few of the bubble lights and it was good to go... the chairs are sporting dueling Basic Grey Christmas collection quilts... and I made another one this year... still need pictures...

And I have a new spot to decorate in the living room... I took the little yellow cabinet to the basement (and I still need to finish decorating it... will try to post more pictures tomorrow too).. and I moved in this shelf unit... I like that it is open and you can see what is on the lower shelves... and it is a little longer so there is more space for more STUFF... and you know how I LOVE MY STUFF!!   LOL

The shelf unit came from Amazon and I replaced the knobs with those turquoise ceramic ones I picked up at Hobby Lobby... I like the pop of color... stayed with a red/white/yellow theme here ... added one new piece of cross stitch...

This is from the No. 25 Prairie Schooler chart "Up on the Housetops"... I've had it in my stash a long time ... copyright 1989...  I made the house a bit more yellow than the called for floss and found that little white trim in my stash... a organdy bow and some little jingle bells in the corner... oh I also used the fusible fleece in this one too ... 

And now for the porch... you may remember  I was lusting after a what I thought was a fluffy white kinda 50's tinsel wreath at Joanns... and I bought it...

as you can see when I hung it up on the  storm door it has a definite pink glow... but that's okay because the porch display has a definite pink vibe..

and I think the pink goes well with the lime-y green and turquoise... I finally finished the Lizzie Kate Christmas ABCs that I started probably 2 years ago... it takes a longer to stitch those words than you would think... I don't think that any 2 of the "e"s are the same design... 

and I'm glad I snagged that pink deer at Target back before Thanksgiving... if you've been shopping you know how picked over every place is ... it was definitely not a year to waffle on a purchase... buy it when you see it... and I think that is going to be the case going forward for a while... 

So I do have a bit more decor but I haven't taken any pictures yet ... I'll try to post something in a day or two... I have 2 displays of gingerbread guys...one in my kitchen and one downstairs in my sewing room and a reindeer vignette down there too... and I've gotten four Christmas quilts done this year... 2 I did late last year and early 2020 and two I did in November 2020... I put the binding on the last one last night... need to pop it into the washer... and maybe I can get some outdoor glamour shots today... it is cloudy which is good for pictures and my neighbor's decorative porch railing is newly painted...however there is an issue there...

I am quite sad to say that my neighbor Jane, passed away a couple of weeks ago... she was a very sweet lady and I miss her... Jane never married and has no extended family in the US, just 2 nephews in Canada... they did come down and look at the stuff in her house but turned it all over to a local attorney to dispose of ... and her house went up for sale on late Thursday... it has been quite a stream of potential buyers... in one hour I saw 3 showings and I wasn't even trying to be nosy... it has been listed as pending since Friday night but I've seen at least 3 more showings since then and I haven't been sitting by the window watching, I just catch a glimpse of the activity when I look out my kitchen window... Jane told me I was always welcome to use the porch railing to take quilt pictures... I hope the new neighbors will be as accommodating ...

And a bit of rambling... this Christmas just isn't the same, is it?  I understand the need for masks but when you can't see people's entire faces you can't tell if they're smiling ...and I don't think they are... I don't feel the same upbeat energy you usually get this time of the year... and I do think it is going to be a long cold winter ... not sure if our governor will lockdown things again.. I hope not... I feel so bad for all the little businesses that are hurting ... just how does the powers that be think these people are going to survive?  I do think that if those that called for lockdowns weren't getting paid, they would have a different take on the situation...  just my opinion... 

So I'll link up with Kathy's Quilts today and try to post some pictures tomorrow of quilts and other displays... I'm almost done with my Christmas shopping...just need a couple of stocking stuffers and I want to get my gifts wrapped today (that is get out my fabric Christmas bags and stuff them in... LOL)... and I think I'll have a bit of a year end wrap up in a week... I'm surprised at how many quilts I finished this year... now a bunch were started in previous years but this was the year I got them quilted and bound (ok not all of them are bound.. but I'm getting there)... didn't do as much cross stitch as Elliott's stocking took a lot of time and there was that totally unfocused lockdown part of the year... I started several cross stitch projects and finished none of them... and lately I've wandered off into the realm of reproduction samplers... somehow 3 different reproduction charts have come through my mail slot... and 3 makes a collection, right??  I've got a very strong urge to do samplers this upcoming year...  I found this one ... Linens and Threads Mystery Sampler 2020... a gorgeous gigantic Quaker piece ... it is free and you can see it here. And there are several started samplers in my UFO box...so many many things I want to stitch... big sigh... 

Okay so if I don't see you before the end of the week... MERRY CHRISTMAS!!! and lets pray that 2021 is not  a continuation of the dumpster fire  of 2020...

happy stitching-

carol fun